customer asking refund because she broke the item

[Anonymous]

I have a customer asking refund because she broke it.

I offer a replacement but she wants money back and claiming too fragile.

I have never had the problem before.

Do I have to give money back?

[mr.elmwood]

Tough call. Instinct says "no". Depends on how much money it is.? Feedback already left?

Sometimes, people just go fishing to see what they can get.

[rose-dee]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I have never had the problem before.

Do I have to give money back?

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It looks as if you're just starting out on eBay, so whether to give the buyer's money back depends on how much you want to make a happy customer and avoid bad feedback and low DSRs (which are more important).  

You may not have had this problem so far, but how many of these items have you sold?  Any time you're selling something that can be broken, there is the risk it will be broken, whether in transit or by the buyer after receipt, and the buyer will see it as a quality issue.  

You don't have to give this buyer his/her money back, but you may have to deal with an INAD (Item Not As Described) case (your listings don't mention the item should be handled carefully, or how they should be used, i.e. don't attempt to push them too hard into dense material, etc.).  You may also have to deal with an upset buyer who will seriously impact your fledgling seller ratings.  How much does a $20 or $30 loss mean to you in comparison to those risks to your business? 

Personally, if the buyer isn't interested in a replacement I would immediately refund, with an apology about the breakage. Obviously the buyer won't want to incur the cost of returning the broken item to you, and I imagine it's of no use to you as an item to re-sell anyway, so there's no point in refunding only upon return of the item.  I'd do it now. 

It might be worthwhile, after this experience, to consider whether to add a note in your listings (or with each parcel) indicating the item should be handled with care as it can break (or saying exactly how it should be handled).  Perhaps a bit riskier would be to include a disclaimer in your listings that refunds will not be made because of breakage through improper customer handling (or similar wording).  I say riskier because I'm not sure that disclaimer will help if a buyer insists on a refund via an INAD case.  

[Anonymous]

Thank you very much for your replies!

I asked her to send me a picture of the broken item.

She said she had to throw it away.

I smell something though.

This is not about money. I just can't stand people say this and that without proof.

[dipmicro]

Do you mold or 3D print ? 3D print has higher chance of manufacturing defect and product has only 50-70% strength of pressure mold of the same material. Depends on the quality of printer and original material too. 1/16in is pretty thin and well positioned air bubble can make the final product not being able to hold it's own weight for long in vertical position in increased temperature.

Generally, if there is a equivalent probability of manufacturing defect and customer mishandling, the probability of defect has higher weight, so unless there was a blatant violation of your handling instructions, you should repair, replace or refund, whichever is most relevant or convenient for you.

[mr.elmwood]

The threw it away remark is nonsense. People do not throw away things they want a refund for.

What Dip says. It is amazing what can cause something to break.

[kashka]

Really?..Buyer breaks the item..and the seller should refund and apologise??..So what is the time frame of this practice?..Do we have to hope buyers never break items and ask for a refund down the road?.Wow..amazing the power we give the buyers now..Only on Ebay..

[jt-libra]

I feel really bad for you.  You only have a Feedback of 6, so a negative would be very significant.  But yet, I can't see how someone who admits to breaking an item (through the eBay messaging system, I presume) would win an Item Not As Received dispute.  You've offered a replacement which she declined, and she no longer has the broken item.  This stinks to high heaven.  Doesn't PayPal require that the item be returned before a INR case is won.  Someone with more experience than me can answer that.  If it's one of the wedding cake toppers you sell for $20 or $26, that's not chump change.

There's no guarantee that she won't leave a negative anyway, even if you refund.  And if she does, you can always reply to it in a calm, factual manner.  Buyers aren`t necessarily turned off by one negative feedback when the seller offers a sensible rationale -- `the buyer accidentally broke the item but refused a replacement and would not return for refund."

I've issued refunds in circumstances that were very suspicious, as much as I hated to do it.  But, fortunately, my feedback is high enough that I'll take the negative now if I have to -- I won`t refund as quickly as I have in the past. But knowing how I felt when I was just starting out with low feedback, I likely would have issued the refund.

[jt-libra]

Sorry, I meant Item Not as Described, not an INR.

[greenmangoes]

WOW! I'm scratching my head...

I bought something couple months ago, broke it before I even got to use it, and the seller doesn't even know.

WOW!

[rose-dee]

There is really no way to know whether this buyer is "fishing" for some undeserved money or is actually making an honest request.  However, it is possible a person would throw away a broken plastic item in frustration, then reconsider later, and decide to ask for a refund. 

The risk of negative FB is a less important issue at your stage of business than being hit with low DSRs, so you have to decide how much it's worth it to you to make this buyer happy. 

By the way, how breakable is this particular item?  If you can afford to do it, try breaking the same item yourself and see how easy or hard it is.  If it cracks under any reasonable pressure or bending (such as required to push it into a fairly dense cake), then in the long run you have a product quality problem that will re-occur.  If you can't resolve that quality issue, then you may have to include some handling instructions in your listings.  

[patken123]

You sellers put a lot of undue importance on negative feedback and  buyers know it ,the one in this thread is totally abusing it,what's next?I put the item on  a hot surface and it melted but since it was not mentioned in the listing the seller is responsible ?You can not give in to these low life bottom feeders just to keep your feedback positive.

As a buyer when I check  a seller's feedback,I also use common sense and can tell if a seller is unjustifiably being punished,most of your buyers do that any way.

My heart goes out to you good decent sellers and admire your patience.